The verdict is in, and it appears that former police officer Derek Chauvin could be facing decades in prison for the murder of George Floyd last year. From the moment the footage was released showing the former officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck, police brutality became the subject of national debate.
The jury’s decision could be seen as a significant victory for both those who truly wish to curb police misconduct and those who simply want to grift off the issue to push an agenda. However, the reactions coming from some on the hard left seem rather bizarre considering the fact that Chauvin was convicted on all three counts. Despite speaking out against Chauvin, prominent progressives seem less than pleased about the jury’s decision. Is it possible that this was not the outcome they desired, after all?
Progressives Downplay Chauvin Verdict
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Shortly after the verdict was announced, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) did a live stream in which she said, “this is not justice.” She pointed out that despite the outcome, “a family had to lose a son, brother, and father; that a teenage girl had to film and post a murder, that millions across the country had to organize and march just for George Floyd to be seen and valued is not justice.”
“And this verdict is not a substitute for policy change,” she added.
Ocasio-Cortez stated she didn’t “want this moment to be framed as this system working, because it’s not working.”
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) also chimed in on Twitter. “We’ve known Chauvin was guilty since the second we saw him murder George Floyd on film – but we also know of the racism inherent in our [jail] and policing systems,” he wrote. “This verdict doesn’t change that racism, or the work ahead needed to transform those systems to serve us.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (R-MI) repeated her calls for the abolition of the police. “This verdict is relief & accountability for the murder of George Floyd. But the fight for justice continues,” she tweeted. Tlaib continued: “Justice would be Gianna having her father today. Justice is investing in our communities, not police. Just is no more Black lives lost to police violence.”
What Outcome Did They Want?
Judging by some of the reactions on the hard left, it almost seems as if some of these high-profile individuals would have rather seen an acquittal. At first glance, it seems their anger is directed at the notion that the Chauvin verdict somehow means that the police brutality issue is solved. However, there is a problem with this theory: Absolutely nobody is arguing that this is the case.
There are plenty of people on both sides of the political spectrum celebrating the outcome of the trial, noting that it is a step in the right direction when dealing with police misconduct. But perhaps the jury’s decision, while certainly desired by most on the left, creates a problem for so-called progressives.
If Chauvin had been acquitted, far-leftists could have used it as yet another example demonstrating how racist America is and how racially biased its justice system remains. The reality that the former officer was convicted on all counts – when many expected the manslaughter charge to be the only one that would stick – flies in the face of the narrative that members of the woke religion so desperately wanted to spin.
Still, a little thing like the criminal justice system actually working for a change won’t cause hard leftists to recalibrate their rhetorical approach. After all, why would they celebrate something they claimed to have wanted when they can continue to push their agenda?
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